22:74 Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

{ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ } الذي هو المعبود من دون الله { وَالْمَطْلُوبُ } الذي هو الذباب، فكل منهما ضعيف، وأضعف منهما، من يتعلق بهذا الضعيف، وينزله منزلة رب العالمين. فهذا ما قدر { اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ } حيث سوى الفقير العاجز من جميع الوجوه، بالغني القوي من جميع الوجوه، سوى من لا يملك لنفسه، ولا لغيره نفعا ولا ضرا، ولا موتا ولا حياة ولا نشورا، بمن هو النافع الضار، المعطي المانع، مالك الملك، والمتصرف فيه بجميع أنواع التصريف. { إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ } أي: كامل القوة، كامل العزة، من كمال قوته وعزته، أن نواصي الخلق بيديه، وأنه لا يتحرك متحرك، ولا يسكن ساكن، إلا بإرادته ومشيئته، فما شاء الله كان وما لم يشأ لم يكن، ومن كمال قوته، أنه يمسك السماوات والأرض أن تزولا، ومن كمال قوته، أنه يبعث الخلق كلهم، أولهم وآخرهم، بصيحة واحدة، ومن كمال قوته، أنه أهلك الجبابرة والأمم العاتية، بشيء يسير، وسوط من عذابه.

ثم قال ما قدروا الله حق قدره أي ما عرفوا قدر الله وعظمته حين عبدوا معه غيره من هذه التي لا تقاوم الذباب لضعفها وعجزها " إن الله لقوي عزيز " أي هو القوي الذي بقدرته وقوته خلق كل شيء وهو الذي يبدأ الخلق ثم يعيده وهو أهون عليه " إن بطش ربك لشديد إنه هو يبدئ ويعيد" " إن الله هو الرزاق ذو القوة المتين" وقوله " عزيز " أي قد عز كل شيء فقهره وغلبه فلا يمانع ولا يغالب لعظمته وسلطانه وهو الواحد القهار.

The insignificance of the Idols and the foolishness of their Worshippers

Here Allah points out the insignificance of the idols and the foolishness of those who worship them.

يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ

(O mankind! A parable has been made,) meaning, a parable of that which is worshipped by those who are ignorant of Allah and who join others as partners with Him.

فَاسْتَمِعُواْ لَهُ

(so listen to it) pay attention and understand.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُواْ ذُبَاباً وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُواْ لَهُ

(Verily, those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose.) Even if all the idols and false gods whom you worship were to come together to create a single fly, they would not be able to do that. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah recorded the Marfu` report:

«وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ (خَلْقًا) كَخَلْقِي، فَلْيَخْلُقُوا مِثْلَ خَلْقِي ذَرَّةً أَوْ ذُبَابَةً أَوْ حَبَّة»

("Who does more wrong than one who tries to create something like My creation Let them create an ant or a fly or a seed like My creation!") This was also recorded by the authors of the Two Sahihs via `Umarah from Abu Zur`ah from Abu Hurayrah, who said that the Prophet said: a

«قَالَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذَهَبَ يَخْلُقُ كَخَلْقِي، فَلْيَخْلُقُوا ذَرَّةً، فَلْيَخْلُقُوا شَعِيرَة»

(Allah says: "Who does more wrong than one who tries to create (something) like My creation Let them create an ant, let them create a grain of barley.") Then Allah says:

وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئاً لاَّ يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ

(And if the fly snatches away a thing from them, they will have no power to release it from the fly.) They are unable to create a single fly and, moreover, they are unable to resist it or take revenge against it if it were to take anything from the good and perfumed thing on which it lands. If they wanted to recover that, they would not be able to, even though the fly is the weakest and most insignificant of Allah's creatures. Allah says:

ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ

(So weak are the seeker and the sought.) Ibn `Abbas said, "The seeker is the idol and the sought is the fly." This was the view favored by Ibn Jarir, and it is what is apparent from the context. As-Suddi and others said, "The seeker is the worshipper, and the sought is the idol." Then Allah says:

مَا قَدَرُواْ اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ

(They have not regarded Allah with His rightful esteem.) meaning, they have not recognized the might and power of Allah when they wor- ship alongside Him those who cannot even ward off a fly, because they are so weak and incapable.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌ

(Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty.) means, He is the All-Strong Who, by His might and power, created all things.

وَهُوَ الَّذِى يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ

(And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it; and this is easier for Him) 30:27

إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ - إِنَّهُ هُوَ يُبْدِىءُ وَيُعِيدُ

(Verily, the punishment of your Lord is severe and painful. Verily, He it is Who begins and repeats.) 85:12-13

إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ

(Verily, Allah is the Provider, Owner of power, the Most Strong.) 51:58.

عَزِيزٌ

(All-Mighty) means, He has subjugated and subdued all things, and there is none that can resist Him or overcome His might and power, and He is the One, the Subduer.

They do not esteem God exalt Him with the esteem He deserves with the exaltedness He deserves for they ascribe to Him partners who can neither protect themselves from a fly nor retaliate against it. Truly God is Strong Mighty Victor.

مَا قَدَرُ‌وا اللَّـهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِ‌هِ (They did not recognize Allah in His true esteem - 22:74). It means that these people are so foolish and ungrateful that they did not recognize the power of Allah Ta’ ala and place their helpless idols at the same level with Him.

They measured not God with the rightful due of His measure. Surely God is strong, exalted. WāsiṬī said, “Creatures do not recognize the rightful due of His measure-only the Real.” No one knows His measure save He. No one can recognize Him as is worthy of Him save He. Intellects are confounded and understandings bewildered at the beginnings of the shining of His majesty. Prophets and messengers came back on the feet of incapacity from the threshold of the reality of recognizing Him. O chevalier, tomorrow when the servants reach the exaltedness of union with Him and see the marks bearing witness to proximity, He will bestow the vision of Himself in the measure of your capacity, not in the measure of His tremendousness and majesty. This is why it has been said, “He spoke to Moses in respect of Moses. Had He spoken to Moses in respect of His tremendousness, Moses would have melted.”